Funded by a Leverhulme Trust Project Grant

Welcome to the database of Scottish Hagiotoponyms

This website is the result of a project, 'Commemorations of Saints in Scottish Place-Names', funded by a Research Project Grant from The Leverhulme Trust (2010-13), and undertaken by staff in the University of Glasgow's School of Humanities (Celtic & Gaelic, and HATII).

Scotland's landscape is rich in place-names incorporating names of saints (hagiotoponyms), mostly of medieval origin. These names, several thousands of them, span Scotland's historical linguistic range, including names in Northern British (Ecclesmachan), Gaelic (Kilmacolm, Tobermory), Norse (Barra) and Scots (St Quivox, Ladykirk). The project aimed to collect these hagiotoponyms, identify the saints commemorated in them, and present them in a public, searchable database.

Much of the work is now done, though aspects are still under development. Please feel free to explore the site using the Simple Search facilities on this page. More information on the project, and more detailed notes on how to make maximum use of the Database, is available here: MORE